1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method of effectively storing markup language documents, such as HTML (hypertext markup language) documents, and more specifically to a method of transmitting markup language documents at a relatively high speed. The present invention has found an extensive use in a mobile radio unit which has a limited memory capacity.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is known in the art, HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) enables, on the World Wide Web (WWW), the user to send and retrieve files across the Internet. HTTP allows the author of a Web page to embed hyperlinks to other Web sites. On the other hand, HTML is the universal codes which are used for the WWW to instruct a Web browser how a document is to be managed and displayed.
In HTML, a code termed xe2x80x9ctagsxe2x80x9d is used to identify an element in a document, such as a heading or a paragraph, for the purposes of formatting, indexing, and linking information in the document. The HTML document thus usually includes a lot of tags and hence, the size of the document is liable to become considerably large. Therefore, when a mobile radio unit, which is inherently provided with a limited memory space, receives and transmits the markup language documents, there occur difficulties that the whole document is unable to be stored in the mobile unit.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of effectively or compactly storing markup language documents.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of transmitting markup language documents at a relatively high speed.
In brief, these objects are achieved by techniques wherein in order to effectively use a limited memory capacity of a mobile radio unit when storing a markup language document transmitted thereto, a lookup table, which includes a plurality of pairs of tags and shortened codes thereof, is memorized in the mobile radio unit. Thereafter, the mobile radio unit receives a message transmitted thereto. In the case where the incoming message is a markup language document, the mobile radio unit determines if a tag embedded in the markup language document has a corresponding shortened code in the lookup table. If the tag has the corresponding shortened code in the lookup table, the markup language document is stored in the mobile radio unit while replacing the tag by the corresponding shortened code.
One aspect of the present invention resides in a method of storing a markup language document in a mobile radio unit, comprising the steps of: (a) storing, in memory means of said mobile radio unit, a lookup table including a plurality of pairs of tags and shortened codes thereof; (b) receiving, at said mobile radio unit, a message transmitted thereto; (c) determining, in case said message is a markup language document, if a tag embedded in said markup language document has a corresponding shortened code in said lookup table; and (d) storing, in said memory means, said markup language document, in which if said tag has the corresponding shortened code in said lookup table, said tag has been replaced by said corresponding shortened code.